Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Fuji Electric developed a generation system that utilizes methane gas generated in
the sewage treatment plant. The company developed equipment that extracts hydrogen
from methane gas. Combined with the industrial fuel battery for plants and
offices, the equipment generates electricity. The fuel battery has a capacity of
100 kW, and the system is available at 70 million yen that is about 40 % lower
than the generally-used gas engine. Besides being high in generation
efficiency, the system makes less noise. That is, it can eliminate the cost to
build noise insulation equipment. The company is running the system on a trial
basis in a prefecture in the Kanto region. The prefecture is expected to get
sales of 60 million yen by selling electricity as against the maintenance cost
of about 20 million yen per year.

Biomass
generation is subject to the nationwide system to purchase electricity
generated by renewable energy that started last July. Because of high initial
investment, however, biomass generation is not as popular as photovoltaic
generation. It accounts for only 1% of all equipment for power generation
approved by electric power companies as of January 31, 2013. The purchase price
of electricity produced by biomass generation is set at 40.95 yen per kW. The generation
system by virtue of gas generation in sewage treatment is not widespread in the
world. Fuji Electric plans to export the system to developing countries
including Southeast Asian countries. According to a research firm, the world
biomass generation market will grow from 21 billion yen in 2010 to 23 billion yen
in 2015.

The
technology to utilize sludge for generation was first established in 2007,